COUNTRIES that are officially free of rabies are still at risk from closely
related viruses, virologists warned last week. Various strains found in bats are
a direct threat to humans, and could also trigger an outbreak among other
animals.
“We must make sure governments remain vigilant,” says Tony Fooks, head of the
rabies research group at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in Weybridge,
Surrey. His warning, to a conference in London, coincides with a report by Liam
Donaldson, Britain’s chief medical officer, outlining the government’s plans for
tackling re-emerging diseases such as TB, as well as new threats like Ebola.
In…
